Current methods of prenatal diagnosis can alert physicians and parents to abnormalities in growing fetuses. Without prenatal diagnosis, one in 50 babies is born with serious physical or mental handicap, and as many as one in 30 will have some form of congenital malformation. Unfortunately, standard methods have either poor accuracy, or involve an invasive procedure that carries a risk of miscarriage. Methods based on maternal blood hormone levels or ultrasound measurements are non-invasive, however, they also have low accuracies. Methods such as amniocentesis, chorion villus biopsy and fetal blood sampling have high accuracy, but are invasive and carry significant risks. Amniocentesis was performed in approximately 3% of all pregnancies in the US, though its frequency of use has been decreasing over the past decade and a half.
It has recently been discovered that cell-free fetal DNA and intact fetal cells can enter maternal blood circulation. Consequently, analysis of this genetic material can allow early Non-Invasive Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis (NPD).
Normal humans have two sets of 23 chromosomes in every healthy, diploid cell, with one copy coming from each parent. Aneuploidy, a condition in a nuclear cell where the cell contains too many and/or too few chromosomes is believed to be responsible for a large percentage of failed implantations, miscarriages, and genetic diseases. Detection of chromosomal abnormalities can identify individuals or embryos with conditions such as Down syndrome, Klinefelter's syndrome, and Turner syndrome, among others, in addition to increasing the chances of a successful pregnancy. Testing for chromosomal abnormalities is especially important as the mother's age: between the ages of 35 and 40 it is estimated that at least 40% of the embryos are abnormal, and above the age of 40, more than half of the embryos are abnormal.
Some Tests Used for Prenatal Screening
Low levels of pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) as measured in maternal serum during the first trimester may be associated with fetal chromosomal anomalies including trisomies 13, 18, and 21. In addition, low PAPP-A levels in the first trimester may predict an adverse pregnancy outcome, including a small for gestational age (SGA) baby or stillbirth. Pregnant women often undergo the first trimester serum screen, which commonly involves testing women for blood levels of the hormones PAPP-A and beta human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG). In some cases women are also given an ultrasound to look for possible physiological defects. In particular, the nuchal translucency (NT) measurement can indicate risk of aneuploidy in a fetus. In many areas, the standard of treatment for prenatal screening includes the first trimester serum screen combined with an NT test.
The triple test, also called triple screen, the Kettering test or the Bart's test, is an investigation performed during pregnancy in the second trimester to classify a patient as either high-risk or low-risk for chromosomal abnormalities (and neural tube defects). The term “multiple-marker screening test” is sometimes used instead. The term “triple test” can encompass the terms “double test,” “quadruple test,” “quad test” and “penta test.”
The triple test measures serum levels of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), unconjugated estriol (UE3), beta human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-hCG), Invasive Trophoblast Antigen (ITA) and/or inhibin. A positive test means having a high risk of chromosomal abnormalities (and neural tube defects), and such patients are then referred for more sensitive and specific procedures to receive a definitive diagnosis, mostly invasive procedures like amniocentesis. The triple test can be used to screen for a number of conditions, including trisomy 21 (Down syndrome). In addition to Down syndrome, the triple and quadruple tests screen for fetal trisomy 18 also known as Edward's syndrome, open neural tube defects, and may also detect an increased risk of Turner syndrome, triploidy, trisomy 16 mosaicism, fetal death, Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome, and steroid sulfatase deficiency.